inunction

[ in-uhngk-shuhn ]

/ ɪnˈʌŋk ʃən /

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noun

the act of anointing.

Medicine/Medical. the rubbing in of an oil or ointment.

Pharmacology. an unguent.

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Origin of inunction

1595–1605; <Latin inunction- (stem of inunctiō), equivalent to inunct(us) (past participle of inunguere to anoint) + -iōn--ion. See in-², unction

Words nearby inunction

Inuk, inukshuk, Inuktitut, inulase, inulin, inunction, inundant, inundate, inundated, inundation, in unison

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use inunction in a sentence

If badly swollen, they should be bathed, before inunction, with a decoction of elder-bark and other emollients.
Gilbertus Anglicus|Henry Ebenezer Handerson
In India it is used by inunction in rheumatism and in the Philippines locally over the stomach in indigestion and colic.
The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines|T. H. Pardo de Tavera
She happened to be undergoing a course of mercurial inunction at the same time as she was troubled with a corn.
Tics and Their Treatment|Henry Meigne
After the wound has healed, mercurial inunction over the spine is employed to hasten the absorption of inflammatory products.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles

There is much greater difficulty with the skin, as inunction cannot be so well performed.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for inunction

inunction

/ (ɪnˈʌŋkʃən) /

noun

the application of an ointment to the skin, esp by rubbing

the ointment so used

the act of anointing; anointment

Word Origin for inunction

C15: from Latin inunguere to anoint, from unguere; see unction

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012